Michigan Democrats Want ICE Agents Prosecuted for Wearing Masks
“Those who protect and serve our community should not do so behind a concealed identity.”
Democrats in Michigan are pushing legislation that would open ICE agents to prosecution if they wear face masks.
It’s hard to keep up with where these folks stand on masks. A few years ago, they wanted to punish anyone who wouldn’t wear one. Now they want ICE agents prosecuted if they do.
It’s particularly surprising that this is happening in Michigan, where Governor Gretchen Whitmer was known for her harsh COVID-19 measures.
FOX News reports:
MI Dems seek to prosecute mask-wearing ICE, after state instituted $500 fine for being maskless during COVID
A Michigan Democratic effort would open up ICE agents to state prosecution if they conduct immigration enforcement operations while wearing masks that conceal their identity.
The effort comes five years after Michigan Democrats supported Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order outlining $500 fines for civilians who, conversely, defied her executive order to wear masks in public during the coronavirus pandemic.
The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Betsy Coffia, D-Traverse City, said Friday ICE’s masking-up “mirror the tactics of secret police in authoritarian regimes and strays from the norms that define legitimate local law enforcement.”
“It confuses and frightens communities,” she said. “Those who protect and serve our community should not do so behind a concealed identity.”
A banner on the dais from which Coffia announced the bill read, “Justice needs no masks.”
State Rep. Noah Arbit, D-West Bloomfield, added his name as a co-sponsor and said in a statement when a person is unable to discern whether someone apprehending them is a government authority or not, it “shreds the rule of law.”
“That is why the Trump administration and the Republican Party are the most pro-crime administration and political party that we have ever seen,” Arbit said.
As we and others have pointed out, the reason ICE agents are wearing masks is that their lives and the lives of their family members are at risk. By trying to unmask them, Democrats are putting them in danger.
From Townhall:
But this kind of rhetoric has real-world consequences: assaults on ICE agents have surged by more than 800 percent. That’s exactly why agents are now taking extra steps to conceal their identities, because activist websites have begun targeting them by name, creating serious fears for their safety and the safety of their families. Not to mention that masks were not only encouraged under Governor Whitmer and the Democrat run city council, but civilians faced fines for not complying with executive orders signed by the governor. If there were no danger in ICE agents performing their duties, there would be no reason for them to conceal their identity.
See the video below:
NEW RADICAL BILL by pro-illegal alien Michigan Democrats seeks to arrest and prosecute mask-wearing ICE Agents, imprison them for 90-days.
Translation: Democrats want ICE jailed or dead. pic.twitter.com/Znmpoj3Zkk
— Dapper Detective (@Dapper_Det) July 29, 2025
MI Democrats in 2020: You have to wear a mask or you will be fined.
MI Democrats in 2025: If you're an ICE agent using a mask to protect yourself, you will be fined. https://t.co/HaluyixsYC
— Michigan Forward (@MIForward_Net) July 29, 2025
This was Michigan just five years ago:
The Michigan health department has ordered for most Michiganders to continue to wear a mask.
Not wearing a mask can cost you a $1,000 fine or even land you 6 months in jail. pic.twitter.com/9ckOF9QDjU
— Sierra Searcy (@SierraSearcyTV) October 6, 2020
Featured image via YouTube.
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
ahaaaa x 10000000
“justice needs no mask”
I want michigan democrats jailed for sending covid infected prisoners into nursing homes.
Pure evil.
Lady Justice wears a blindfold
and randi weingarten has the heart of a n azi
Federal law supersedes
Pretty sure that is ICE policy but I can’t find a federal law that specifically authorizes them to do so. And absent that the Supremacy Clause doesn’t apply.
States do not have the authority to interfere with federal agents performing their duties. The state legislators in Michigan surely know this, as does the governor. This is pure political grandstanding.
State law lacks jurisdiction to govern ICE dress codes
Women and blacks on the dais. Anyone surprised by this.
I would be in favor of no masking of police and agents if it was also illegal to dox them. Good luck getting that approved.
That would be a stupid law, as identifying doxers is about as impossible as identifying spammers, phishers, or Nigerian princes. It would give you the illusion of protection while providing f*-all.
Just go after the web sites, The owners of the sites. The owners of the servers. Those can be tracked at least in this country,
But what would you suggest. Exposing ICE agents identities and raid location should be considered a criminal offense and handled appropriately.
Google Drive? Microsoft OneDrive? The dark web? Good luck with that.
Does Michigan governor Wretched Witless really want to go up against the Federal Government? Nobody is above the law so I can see obstruction of justice charges in her future. Should be fun to watch.
.
I can see their point in some circumstances. Police need to be clearly identified, and not just by screaming “police.” Although, a mask has nothing to do with whether the police are clearly identified.
Being clearly identified is part of the reason I am against midnight raids and no-knock warrants. We have all seen the videos of police storming a house with everybody shouting a different command to somebody just woken at 2:00am. It is chaos. The first thing I’m doing is reaching for my gun. The second thing is me getting shot.
Having “police” written on the back is only helpful if police approach with their backs turned to a suspect. One small emblem on the left chest hidden because the officer has his rifle isn’t helpful either.
I repeat. Wearing a mask has nothing to do with police being able to be identified. I guess if someone could learn the face of every LEO in the country, they might have an argument.
You’re never going to be sure until they present their driver’s license and employment contract because anyone can buy a uniform and claim to be a cop. Let’s stop pretending law enforcement is the problem when it’s violent protesters and illegal aliens. There’s a reason why Mexican police also wear masks when dealing with the cartels. It’s so their families aren’t killed in retaliation. That’s where the left has brought us. They want to dox cops and threaten them until they won’t do their job. They won’t limit this to ICE, either.
Are you really that thick, or are you purposefully skipping over the TWO times I stated masks aren’t the problem?
Yeah, tactical gear is easily bought other places. WHICH IS WHY I WANT POLICE EASILY IDENTIFIABLE.
Uniforms are not as easy. But as long as we are playing the “what if” game, “what if crooks steal an SUV, take it to a body shop and get blue lights, a siren, and skin it in the local protect and serve livery.” What good does having marked police cars do?
Tell you what let’s find a compromise. ICE will remove masks in normal operations reserving the use of masks for high threat environments…if and only if …the State and Local gov’t facilitate ICE operations in low threat environments by cooperation. No blocking ICE from public property, no willful non cooperation, no raising impediments.
IOW when State/Local gov’t allows ICE into jails, prisons, holding areas and other locations where illegal aliens have been detained and secured by State/local LEO in the course of their normal duties. So that if an illegal alien is arrested for X the locals call ICE to see if ICE wants him held till ICE can come pick them up say the common 72 hour timeframe to be put before a magistrate.
Do that and ICE can take many of the criminal illegal aliens into custody in a far safer environment than on the street.
Until they start arresting, prosecuting, fining, and imprisoning protesters and rioters wearing masks, I don’t want to hear their crap. Even then, I’ll still oppose it, but I will listen to them.
I am not quite sure how you missed the two separate instances where I explicitly stated masks have nothing to do with police being identifiable.
Your compromise sounds fine if it addressed any part of my comment.
I want police in these situations to be identifiable in a single glance. If you are someone who lives in violent neighborhoods, it’s not very reassuring to somebody all in black running down the street with a gun. Yeah, you probably feel a little better after he passes and you can see POLICE on the back.
If I may bolster your argument (which I came here to make) – Unmasking an LEO is useless unless everyone the LEO interacts with already knows who he is and that he is, in fact, an LEO. Anybody, with or without a mask, can impersonate an LEO. Unmasking the real LEO alone can’t help identify him as an authentic LEO.
My comment does in fact address the underlying issue which isn’t ‘masks’ or ability to ID LEO but rather the fact that ICE is forced to go into communities and conduct operations to find and arrest criminal illegal aliens. That’s the real issue, the ‘optics’ of masked, unidentifiable dudes in unmarked vehicles rolling up and grabbing an illegal alien and driving off.
If State/local gov’t communicated, cooperated with and allowed ICE into jails, prisons and other public spaces to take illegal aliens into custody they wouldn’t need to be ‘on the street’ snatching folks up dressed in ‘all black’. Instead they’d be coordinating secure pick up in a controlled environment. ‘Raids’ would shift to more workplace enforcement and more targeted arrests in/around residence/workplace of the more HVT illegal aliens.
Your stated desire/goal that police would be ‘identifiable in a single.glance’ is frankly impossible. In my rural County with a population of 50K we have Sheriff’s Dept, seven or eight municipal Police dept, State Troopers, State Fish/Game. Plus the potential for encounters with Federal agencies; Treasury, FBI, Homeland Security, ATF, DEA. Plus the oddball Federal agencies with LEO Dept ED. Dept Energy, Dept Inferior, Postal Inspectors….Even if uniformed that’s a bunch of different ones to memorize.
I’d agree 100% on serving warrants at homes. Dynamic entry or kinetic raid should be reserved for the truly dangerous. In lesser instances the LEO should be showing up between 7am to 7pm, knocking politely on the door, waiting until it is answered (at least as long as they might choose to linger on a ‘knock and talk’) before conducting a dynamic entry. Present the warrant and do their thing; search, arrest or both.
“Wearing a mask has nothing to do with police being able to be identified. I guess if someone could learn the face of every LEO in the country, they might have an argument.”
Think outside that box. The left clearly doesn’t expect to recognize the officer on sight. The left wants to be able to photograph that officer so they can doxx him later and get revenge.
I get that. Your point relies on reading people’s minds. My point is it doesn’t make a difference if a LEO is wearing a mask or not. They should be easily identifiable regardless.
“…. when a person is unable to discern whether someone apprehending them is a government authority or not, it “shreds the rule of law.”
I am arguing the point they are trying to make—not arguing against something they didn’t say.
Everyone here knows that, including jazzizhep. Nowhere did he state that the real purpose of unmasking LEOs was unknown. His point is that the argument being used for their unmasking is illogical, which it is no matter their intent.
Your lack of reading comprehension is really getting to annoy me.
He said no such thing.
His entire paragraph discussed the “real” motivations of wanting to unmask LEOs. I think that is true, but I am sick and tired of people arguing a point nobody raised or by reading minds. Never-Trumpets are the absolute worst.
Making things worse are all of the profoundly obese cops; cops with neck tats and circus side-show freak quantities of tats all over their arms and hands. Example: Detective Matt on YouTube.
I have an instinctive distrust of police as it is. Growing up in L.A., going to college in San Diego at a time when their cop shop was even more violent than L.A.’s, and the Frazier v Cupp (Kupp?) decision justifies that distrust.
For those saying DHS or CBE are not cops… yes they are.
I am not quite as down on police as you are. But after a ride-a-long in the mid-nineties, I don’t quite place them on Mt Olympus as I was raised to do.
After working with them in a highly-regarded cop shop for nearly 9 years, I wouldn’t trust a cop as far as I could throw him.
ICE wears masks to stop the spread of Covid in the minority community. I’d be thanking them for their devotion to public health.
Transparent attempt to dox ICE employees so antifa and other deranged sh*tlibs can target them, their spouses, and their kids for abuse, or worse.
Considering the left is willing to harass and intimidate elected officials and Supreme Court members at their homes it’s not unreasonable for ice agents to fear the same and perhaps worse being done to them.
True. But, unlike the peasantry they carry firearms both on and off the job. They, unlike the peasantry, can defend themselves and get away with it.
Anybody who tries to take the mask that’s protecting that officer’s family off of him should be met with deadly force.
Democrats want ICE agents prosecuted.
People in hell want ICE water.
They literally want to send Antifa to attack these guys and their families at home.
And not wearing a mask will identify them as police/ICE agents? Who knew…
Not a little suspicious that a white female makes the announcement.
And where is the legislation to forbid protestors from masking?
Actually, it is illegal to protest while wearing a mask in many jurisdictions. Of course, the Leftist DAs won’t charge or prosecute. And then they wonder why people have little to no respect for lawyers, judges and – unfortunately – police.
These same, vile, stupid, evil and hypocritical pukes believe that their “Anti-fa” and Hamashole/Islamofascist terrorist thug cadres should have the right to wear masks while they assault and threaten LEO’s, conservatives and American Jews.
looking for conservative members of the scotus needing to wear masks
and not just b/c of the stench from the lefty wing of the court
Have them wear riot police helmets with tinted face shields. Then there would be no mask plus it looks super intimidating.
Prosecuting federal officers for performing their duty?! The free states tried that 200 years ago with the slavecatchers, and lost. The courts made it clear that the states didn’t have to cooperate with the slavecatchers, and could forbid all state and local officials from giving them any assistance, but they could not interfere with them, and nor could they forbid private citizens from voluntarily assisting them.
If they were to pass this and try to enforce it, it wouldn’t be Whitmer getting arrested for obstruction, it would be the policeman they send to serve the arrest warrant on an ICE officer. So the police, not being stupid, would refuse the illegal order to do that.
Even if this were somehow valid, even if the arresting officer were not himself charged with obstruction, the moment any ICE officer was charged he would have the case immediately removed to federal court, which would drop the charge.
In principle. Not a sure thing considering some of the judges in federal district courts.
Every one of these losers should be charged with sedition and treated exactly like J6ers.
Actually, they should be charged as accessories should any ICE officer be targeted/doxxed. And charges as a co-defendant if a family member of an ICE officer is attacked.
Maybe we can return the favor. How about we provide the citizenry the names and addresses of our political “leaders,” as well as the names of their family members to include children. Where they work, where they go to school, where they shop…
Then we can see whether these “civic” leaders want to allow the Antifa mobs and the illegals access to where the federal agents live.
Until they actually interfere with an officer performing his duty, they’re engaged in protected speech. Denouncing ICE, calling for officers’ arrest, all of that is protected speech. Actually arresting them is obstruction and a federal crime.
“It’s particularly surprising that this is happening in Michigan, where Governor Gretchen Whitmer was known for her harsh COVID-19 measures.”
Not at all. First and foremost, Wretched Gretchen is a demoncrat, thus, a hypocrite and liar.
I want Rashida Tlaib arrested for *not* wearing a mask, along with a bag over her head.
ICE is wearing masks so they cannot be identified by scum like these holes. These morons calling for ICE prosecution need to be locked up.
policing the Left for criticizing the Sydney Sweeney ad while not wearing COVID masks (this is real)
https://x.com/Slatzism/status/1950651149314326549
Linking the two mask stories and their obvious double standard is important but, these articles fail to make one obvious point to call out the democrat narrative. LE’s official “identification” is the badges, markings, and writing on their clothing and those are what matter. Their individual faces are irrelevent because they do not give credence to official acts in the moment.
Protecting these official items/markings/badges etc are why impersonating a police officer, by wearing/displaying offical insignia on a person or vehicle when not authorized, is a crime.
So the dems are making a false argument that needs to be called out for what it really is, for marxists groups to be able to identify, harass, and even attack individual officers and their families in their private life.
Ice is NOT justice. Our Courts are supposed to be justice. Not surprising the Dhimmicraps are too stupid to know the difference.